Saturday, March 21, 2009

I thought I knew how much lies and untruth play a part in the anti-gay agenda. I was mistaken.

It is not enough to assume that people want to know facts about gay people. Knowing that they are very willing to believe lies, like the ones that Ssempa, Nsaba Buturo and Langa talk about is something that is shocking.

That such lies should be told by provisionaly Christian people is disturbing. That they are told about me makes me want to fight them.

It is not exclusively done in Uganda. But, and I will unashamedly borrow from these, in America. Afterall, that is where our 3 guests came from.

Human Rights Watch is trying to end the lies. (Sounds a bit like what Obama did in his campaign, actually.) Here is the link

and this article

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today launched a website to confront right-wing lies and distortions repeatedly used to defeat LGBT equality measures. EndtheLies.org will counteract these mistruths with respectful dialogue and grassroots action.

The website’s launch coincides with today's oral arguments before the California Supreme Court on the National Center for Lesbian Rights/American Civil Liberties Union challenge to Proposition 8, the ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Justices will hear differing views on the constitutionality of the measure, as well as the validity of 18,000 marriages performed over the nearly five months when marriage equality was legal in California.

“Again and again, opponents of equality have claimed one shallow victory after another by telling lies about who we are as individuals, as loving couples and as families. These lies must be called out for what they are, not just today when we're reminded of the untruths that fueled Prop 8's passage, but every time the right-wing seeks to derail our progress by spreading distortions and inciting fear mongering," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Tools like EndtheLies.org will be critical to our community’s upcoming legislative battles, including passage of the Matthew Shepard Act in 111th Congress.”

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Among the most common right-wing lies that will be refuted on EndtheLies.org are the following:

Lie: If hate crimes laws are passed, pastors will be prosecuted for preaching what the Bible says about homosexuality.

Truth: Pastors will not be held liable for hate crimes based on preaching anti-gay sermons. The First Amendment protects a preacher from being charged as an accessory to a hate crime simply because of their speech. The Matthew Shepard Act only punishes violent crimes, not a person’s speech, beliefs or thoughts. In fact, the legislation contains language specifically protecting free speech.

Lie: Legislation that will provide employment protection based on sexual orientation or gender identity will force churches to hire homosexuals.

Truth: Federal employment non-discrimination legislation is sensitive to religious organizations and their fundamental beliefs and tenets, and includes a broad exemption for these groups, including churches, religious schools and other faith entities.

Lie: Homosexual acts have a key role to play in the spread of all STDs and HIV/AIDS.

Truth: HIV and STDs don’t distinguish by gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic. Statements such as these hamper efforts to prevent the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases by spreading ignorance and misinformation.

Lie: Allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry hurts children because studies show children need a mother and father to do well in life.

Truth: All scientifically reputable studies on the subject of same-sex parenting show that the sexual orientation of a child’s parent does not affect a child. Furthermore, all leading children’s welfare and rights organizations conclude that there is no measurable difference between children raised by loving lesbian and gay families and those raised by different-sex couples.

I will have to go through my previous posts and come up with the Lies that are told about gay Ugandans. Lies like recruitment, paedophiles, evil...!

I mean, believe it or not, the best weapon that we have against Ssempa, Langa, Akinola, Orombi and the ilk is the Truth.

5 comments:

Thanks for the new link...I´ll add it at my blog...yes, TRUTH has always stood in the way of those who would harm LGBT Christians/Muslims and others...it has much to do with portraying excellence of character where little good character exists...imagine the secrets that hide behind the lies? Imagine the lengths that Akinola, Orombi and others are willing to go to in order to keep playing their game of puritan inspired PRETEND? It´s what´s behind the lies that is really dangerous (and revealing).

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